2001: A Space Odyssey

2001: A Space Odyssey is a narrative, based upon Arthur C. Clarke's 1948 short story The Sentinel, originally released in 1968 as both as a novel written by Clarke and as a film directed by Stanley Kubrick. The story of 2001 revolves around the discovery of a black monolith on the Moon, and a subsequent mission to Saturn (Jupiter in the film) to trace a signal sent by the monolith. 2001 has become highly influential in the science fiction genre, and Kubrick's film has been called one of the greatest films of all time for its scientific realism, multiple thematic interpretations, surreal imagery, and overall influence on the film industry.

Futurama has made several references to both the book and the film, which will be noted here.

As Fry, Amy and Zoidberg are heading to Europa, they pass by a monolith that's in orbit around Jupiter with an "Out of Order" sign. This refers to the monolith orbiting Jupiter that David Bowman passes through in Kubrick's 2001.

When the Planet Express crew signs onto the internet, the "Sunrise" fanfare from Richard Strauss' Also sprach Zarathustra plays and Fry utters the words "My God...it's full of ads!". The music is popularly associated with Kubrick's 2001, and Fry's line refers to Bowman's final transmission before he enters the monolith: "My God...it's full of stars...".

The Planet Express ship computer is represented by a glowing red camera eye, a clear reference to HAL 9000. In addition, the glowing red central core of the Planet Express computer is identical to HAL's central core from the film. Bender also sings "Daisy Bell" while on a date with the ship, which HAL sings while he is being shut down. Also while Fry Leela and Bender are in the shower it represents Bowman and Poole in the pod talking about shutting down HAL's brain. Although unlike the HAL the Planet Express ship can not read lips.

The ship Discovery One, used for the mission to Saturn/Jupiter, and a black monolith are seen in the space ship graveyard. Like Bowman the Planet Express ship passes through something similar to the monolith.